The few lines were very clear, written in a large, decided handwriting, considerably larger, or so it seemed to Sylvia, than what she had thought Anna's ordinary hand to be.

But then the Englishwoman had not had the opportunity of seeing much of her Polish friend's caligraphy.
Before she had quite finished reading the mysterious letter over a second time, Madame Malfait took it out of her hand.
But Sylvia Bailey was entirely unused to being snubbed--pretty young women provided with plenty of money seldom are snubbed--and so she did not turn away and leave the hall, as Madame Malfait hoped she would do.
"What a strange thing!" she observed, in a troubled tone.

"How extraordinary it is that my friend should have gone away like this, leaving her luggage behind her! What can possibly have made her want to leave Lacville in such a hurry?
She was actually engaged to have dinner with our friends, Monsieur and Madame Wachner.

Did she not send them any sort of message, Madame Malfait?
I wish you would try and remember what she said when she went out." The Frenchwoman looked at her with a curious stare.
"If you ask me to tell you the truth, Madame," she replied, rather insolently, "I have no doubt at all that your friend went to the Casino yesterday and lost a great deal of money--that she became, in fact, _decavee_." Then, feeling ashamed, both of her rudeness and of her frankness, she added: "But Madame Wolsky is a very honest lady, that I will say for her.

You see, she left enough money to pay for everything, as well as to provide my servants with handsome gratuities.